Australian bull ants attack a clockwork robot (video)

dragonblade71

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 1, 2007
Messages
523
This is a surreal kind of film that I shot on a rural property in South Australia (Kangaroo Island to be exact.) Very much a case of experimental filmmaking. A toy robot comes face to face with a nest of angry bull ants. You can see a fair bit of swarming action here (for which these ants are well known for when an intruder comes too close to their nest.)


This video's been getting some attention on news-related websites like the ones below:

https://boingboing.net/2016/09/12/bull-ants-swarm-a-clockwork-to.html

http://laughingsquid.com/bull-ants-...carelessly-wanders-too-close-to-their-colony/
 

dragonblade71

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 1, 2007
Messages
523
Thanks all! Oh yes, these ants certainly have a reputation and an attitude to match. They'll stand their ground against any living thing, no matter how big (even people.) They don't seem to have any fear. When I was recording this video, I had bull ants crawling over my camera and tripod as well as my shoes / legs.
 

Travis K

TravIsGinger
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 6, 2007
Messages
2,518
Nice video! Australia has some pretty serious inverts. Also they killed your bot meng... When's the funeral?
 

dragonblade71

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jul 1, 2007
Messages
523
How big was the robot? Those ants look huge!
The robot stands close to 12cm high. And yes, these ants are rather big. They are among the largest ants in the world. Oh yea, due to Australia's strict import / export laws, the chance of these guys reaching more distant shores is rather slim. Also the fact that they can potentially be deadly would no doubt be another factor in making them difficult to export. People have different reactions to their stings. There have been a number of people in Australia who have died after being stung by bull ants (suffering an allergic reaction to the venom.) Ive been stung twice after filming them on another occasion but in my case, I only had a bit of pain for about 10 - 15 minutes. Another family member claimed to have felt the effects of the sting for a whole week.
 
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